Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Psalm 103:22
With a joyful heart overflowing with thanksgiving, the psalmist concludes with his opening refrain. This psalm serves as a wonderful model for prayer as we reflect on all of God’s blessings which are so richly and undeservedly bestowed on His children. To contemplate that He loves us with an everlasting love is overwhelming, and it is a love no one else can give us. We are never not loved by God, not even for a moment. He is righteous and holy, which means our sin makes Him justly angry. But His love through the Holy Spirit softens our hearts to bring us to repentance, and God will always forgive us, cleanse us, and refuse to hold our sins against us.
We know our place—God made us from the dust. Even in our lowly status, the creature can, and must, worship God the Creator. We magnify God’s attributes by expressing them aloud, and as the psalmists concludes, he blesses God for all the benefits found only in Him. Only God can forgive our sins because He sent His Son to fulfill the Law and be the perfect, final sacrifice. All of our sin was placed on Him, and He bore the wrath of God that we deserve. Otherwise, we would be without hope and separated from God because of our sin. Believer, may we never stop thanking God for His provision and salvation, cleansing us completely and clothing us in His righteousness, which is the only firm foundation for an everlasting relationship with a holy God. We cannot take the cost and gift of salvation lightly.
It is also remarkable that the psalmist wrote this psalm long before Christ’s incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection even happened. The psalmist could only see the shadows of the full picture of redemption. We have the benefit of living on the other side of redemption’s accomplishment. How much more we can praise God and live righteously with the power of the Holy Spirit in us, which gives us cause to thank God for His life-changing, eternal gifts. My soul sings, “Bless the Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer!” With joy may we live for God’s glory—hating sin and loving righteousness. “To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever” (1 Tim. 1:17).
Keys for the Kingdom 
That was a masterful sumnation of the psalm and of God’s perfect plan. You are a blessing, too. Thank you.
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Thank you, Mrs. Ghabril.
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You’re very welcome! May God continue to richly bless you and your family this Thanksgiving and the whole year through.
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Thank you for your insights, Nathan. I love Psalm 103 and return to it often for comfort and encouragement, and of course it turns me away from myself or my issues to praise God for all he has done.
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Thank you, Dr. Purnell.
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